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Muppetdog

Pilot Chute in Tow

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Reserve.

Why waste time? (If you tossed out a 2 grand you probably have less than 8 seconds till impact by the time you realize what is going on. Why waste 2 on cutting away?)

Why increase the chance of an entanglement if the main lets go suddenly? (I'd rather deal with two out, a much more survivable scenario than an entanglement)


My nickels worth.
----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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My take on a pc in tow,when I had mine on jump 13
due to a misrouted bridal, I tried looking over my shoulder and didn't see it. All I knew was I was screaming thru 3 grand with nothing out, pull silver, saddle out at 2000. Now days I think I'm aware enough I might grab the bridal and try once to clear it. Otherwise I'm going to go for silver with nothing out. AFIK this is the only mal that does not require a cutaway. And its always argued both ways depending on who you talk to.

blue skies

jerry




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My take on a pc in tow,when I had mine on jump 13
due to a misrouted bridal, I tried looking over my shoulder and didn't see it. All I knew was I was screaming thru 3 grand with nothing out, pull silver, saddle out at 2000. Now days I think I'm aware enough I might grab the bridal and try once to clear it. Otherwise I'm going to go for silver with nothing out. AFIK this is the only mal that does not require a cutaway. And its always argued both ways depending on who you talk to.



this is exactly what is so confusing about the PC in tow discussion.... I am keeping two the cutaway first method , but this is only because im not sure what the best option is , and the cutaway and pull is the thing i was taught...

would be nice if there somehow was a single statement about this issue... but just as the RSL debate i don`t think it will ever happen B|

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Try and grab the PC bridle (I've cleared PCs in tow this way), but don't waste any time -- one try then go to EPs. Even if you don't get the bridle, the act of reaching can allow air to catch the PC if it's caught in the burble. As far as EPs, my personal opinion is to cutaway first, but there is no right answer to this question. Either way, there's a risk of reserve/main entanglement.


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i've also cleared p.c in tows that way, by grabbing the bridle. however, if i couldnt find the bridle or whatever for some reason i would cut away, make sure my risers have seperated from teh harness with a sweeping motion, and then silver. sounds like alot but it'd only take a second.

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I have seen the results of cutting away first and then pulling reserve in PC in tow scenario. Fortunately, he is still around to talk about it. His main came out during deployment but because he had two flopping risers (no longer attached to rig cuz he cutaway) they snagged the reserve slider and up they went. Mostly collapsing his reserve. He lived by luck of the swing. He now jumps a pull out which is one way to deal with this.

1. Prevention. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
2. PC in tow? Pull Reserve handle. I already know what I'm gonna do with two out. Dealing with an entanglement that I can't reach? WTF you gonna do now?
Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

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i've also cleared p.c in tows that way, by grabbing the bridle. however, if i couldnt find the bridle or whatever for some reason i would cut away, make sure my risers have seperated from teh harness with a sweeping motion, and then silver. sounds like alot but it'd only take a second.



I would probably try this all if I get PC in tow at 11K on high altitude hop'n'pop. Otherwise, it seems like a very dangerous waste of time.

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***2. PC in tow? Pull Reserve handle. I already know what I'm gonna do with two out. Dealing with an entanglement that I can't reach? WTF you gonna do now?
Quote

This man is soooo right. Are you listening? Whatever made that thing tow in the first place probably isn't going to budge just 'cause you tug on it.

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not necessarily. it could just be caught in your burble... its worth trying, its just like a hard pull. what do you do. you try 2 or 3 times and then initate emergency procedures.. right? if i yanked on the bridle and nothing happened, you bet your ass i'm goin cha ching. ;)

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not necessarily. it could just be caught in your burble... its worth trying, its just like a hard pull. what do you do. you try 2 or 3 times and then initate emergency procedures.. right? if i yanked on the bridle and nothing happened, you bet your ass i'm goin cha ching.



I have a rather LARGE burble... when I had my fully inflated PC in Tow in Mid Jan I looked back saw it did the shimmy.. that did not clear it.. Punched with elbows that did not clear it....I reached back with both hands putting me into a bit of a track and head down.. and pulled the bridle.. the combo of pulling it and tack blew it off my back.. with the D Bag bouncing off my heel and the bridle ripping out of my hand.. tweaking my shoulder a little... Now would I have tried this if I was dumping lower than the 4500' I deployed at.. hmm good question.. but I knew where I was and had some time.. Still it was high speed and being under canopy at 2100 was good.

Root cause the closing loop had been tightened up down at Eloy by my packer because he thought it was loose. The pilot chute was cocked.. I checked.. and the pin was well seated when I pin checked ( every jump). Perhaps my canopy was a bit tighter in the bag up here in the wet rather than the dry of AZ.
I have no idea.. but I imediately replaced my closing loop and bought a new Cazer pilot chute, the old one had a couple hundred jumps on it and was still fine.. but a new one is better. If I was lower on deployment and screaming at the ground If looking back did not clear it I would go cutaway handle and then silver.. I got to see my sky blue Raven on Sunday and its pretty. I flys really good too:)

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... I do not want to be a member of the local Team Cypres thru inaction and scaring my cypres is a bad thing to me.



LOL!!! This is one of the funniest ways of describing a very serious thing that I've read here. Thanks Jeanne, I'll remember that one!

Bob

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TribalTalon: Maybe at 67 jumps you shouldn't be arguing with someone who has 4000+.

i've also cleared p.c in tows that way, by grabbing the bridle. however, if i couldnt find the bridle or whatever for some reason i would cut away, make sure my risers have seperated from teh harness with a sweeping motion, and then silver. sounds like alot but it'd only take a second. ***

I don't quite understand what good it would do to make sure that the three rings have completely released before you pull your reserve. The problem with cutting away and then deploying the reserve is that as you deploy the reserve it may decrease the tension that is holding the main in the container, thus allowing the main to open. You risk that the main will open at the same time as the reserve and that the main risers and lines may get tangled on the reserve. When you go straight to the reserve handle you are saving time and decreasing the chances of canopies getting tangled.

There are pros and cons to either side. I think that a lot of times the act of cutting away first clears the burble over your back and allows the main to open and fly away, leaving room for a clean reserve deployment. I guess your choice of malfunction procedures for this one kinda depends on which canopy you are betting will open up first (if the main is capable of being removed from the container.)

If I ever have a pilot chute in tow again I will vigorously clear the air over my back while looking back to see what the problem is.. and then I will deploy my reserve.

*Disclaimer: Obviously, this is just my opinion. Each procedure has its pros and each has its cons. Its a decision that every jumper needs to make on the ground and commit to muscle memory before we are faced with it in the air.

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my apologies, i didnt mean to sound like i was arguing with the guy. [:/] it just sounded like from what he was saying, if he had a pilot chute in tow he wouldnt even try to mess with it at all. why waste a reserve pack job if a simple motion could clear the problem. *shrugs* thats all i was trying to say. Sorry anyway. of course, i know nothing, and never will. :|

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Personally, I cutaway and pull reserve. I only have one procedure because I don't like having to think when the shit hits the fan. And I never pull lower than 3,000, so I have time.

There is no right answer. Everyone has to do what they are comfortable with. Some people's minds race and they can think fast when things go wrong. I know myself well enough to know I'm more of a deer-in-the-headlights person ;) Fewer procedures and more practice for me.
Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

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>>they snagged the reserve slider and up they went. <<

How did this happen? I can't picture it.



Remember you have a PC in tow. If you cutaway your risers can flop around on your back but won't leave your rig since the main is still enclosed in the main tray. Once the reserve is deployed and the PC in tow was due to high forces on the closing loop then it could deploy the main. Once the reserve is out doesn't it stand you up? What is your general direction of flight during deployment? Straight down still. So, if the main leaves is it going to go away from you behind? No. It is going to go straight up and those flopping risers can snag ANYTHING they want to. In this case they got the slider as it came down. The drag of the main weighing on the reserve caused it to slide back up the lines. A slider going back up the lines will collapse your canopy. In my example (true case) the main then deposited itself on top of the reserve and the whole mess started spinning. It would accelerate and then plane out. He impacted the dirt right before it really started to accelerate again. Major busted bones but he lived. Thank God. He jumps again, but had he hit on the full downswing he'd be dead. Pure and simple.

But, with two canopies out and inflated I can fly and land a bi-plane. I can fly and land a side-by-side. And if it goes down-plane then I know I have a good chance of seperating cleanly during the cutaway. But it is all in stages. And sometimes, putting more shit over your head is a good thing rather than cutting away. But that's a whole nuther thread.
Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

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my apologies, i didnt mean to sound like i was arguing with the guy. [:/] it just sounded like from what he was saying, if he had a pilot chute in tow he wouldnt even try to mess with it at all. why waste a reserve pack job if a simple motion could clear the problem. *shrugs* thats all i was trying to say. Sorry anyway. of course, i know nothing, and never will. :|

No problem, we weren't arguing, just discussing. I've towed one pilot chute and had a number or pilot chute hesitations. They look totally different when you see them over your back. Withe the old legstrap or belly band mounted pilot chutes, a good twist in the strap would give you an in-tow situation. The danger would start when you tugged hard enough to pop the pin, then you had a horseshoe malfunction:o. With th BOC mounts today, it's probably not a problem. I still like flat and stable and pull the reserve. I've also had two chutes out at once and that's not too bad. All said, I'm keeping my pullout:)

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